Sure and the rain will start going up too

Port St. Lucie is contemplating a leash law. For dogs and cats!

City council members Monday said they support tougher laws governing a myriad of pet issues — from dangerous dogs to pet waste — and scheduled the proposal for a vote at their July 10 meeting.

City Attorney Roger Orr said that while the "pooper scooper" law would apply to all kinds of domestic animals, he warned enforcement against cats could be problematic. A similar leash law requiring all animals, including cats, to be leashed in public is difficult to enforce because one county judge refuses to fine anyone "for not having a cat on a leash," Orr said.

Is Orr the only person with common sense up there? Cats are very independent. I propose the entire council try test walking some of them. They'll find out how impractical a leash law for cats is.

TFM moved to Florida 30 years ago this month. When I moved here, my family brought our pet cat Felix. Felix was no fan of riding in a car and I tried to teach him to walk on a leash. It worked but Felix was always closest to me and this wouldn't work with 1 in 1000 cats if not a bigger number.

The animal waste ordinance would require pet owners to pick up their animals' fecal matter on any public or private property unless the landowner has agreed to the indiscretion.

Seeing Eye dogs are exempt. Owners of other pets in violation could be fined $50 for the first offense and $100 for the second. Third and subsequent offenses would be ticketed at $200.

City officials have warned it will be difficult to link a particular pile of evidence with a particular animal unless the complainant has a photo or video capturing the activity. Having a police or animal control officer witness the act also would suffice for a citation, officials said.

"It's a crapshoot," Mayor Bob Minsky said, eliciting giggles from the audience.

LOL Mayor. I like your sense of humor. Dogs and cats are not equal and trying to enforce the same law on both is stupid. Cats just aren't leash animals. Dog owners should have to pick up behind their animals however.

Maybe St. Lucie County Sheriff Mescara can put his toy to good use on those who violate this proposed law.

Stay tuned to TFM for further Port St. Lucie poop updates.

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